Skirt-supporting belt



(No Model.)

J. M. FLANNERY SKIRT SUPPORTING BELT.

No. 561,576. PatentedJune 9,1896.

NITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

JOSEPH M. FLANNERY, OF BRADDOCK, PENNSYLVANIA.

SKIRT-SUPPORTING BELT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 561 ,576, dated June 9, 1896.

Application filed February 17, 189 $erial No. 579,559. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH M. FLANNERY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Braddock, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Skirt-Supporters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to devices adapted to maintain or support ladies skirts.

IIeretofore, so far as I am aware, difficulty and trouble have been encountered in properly supporting a skirt around the waist of ladies. Safety-pins and other similar devices used for this purpose have been found not only troublesome, but also inefficient, as the least strain upon the rear of the garment is suflicient to pull it from beneath the belt, occasioning not only an ill fitting of the garment, but increasing the danger of tearing the same.

The object of my invention is to produce a simple and efficient device, by the use of which these difficulties will be avoided.

Iwill describe myimproved skirt-supporter in connection with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the same.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a skirtsupporter constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the overlapping ends of the waistband. Fig. 3 is a sectional View on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, showingthe manner of attaching a skirt.

A designates the belt or flexible band forming a part of my improved skirt-supporter and by which it is secured in position. This belt is formed of thin spring-steel or other suitable material and is preferably covered with muslin or other light fabric. As said above, this belt A is adapted "to be secured around a ladys waist, one of the ends thereof being bent, as at I and adapted to engage with one of a series of slots or apertures 0, formed in the body of the belt near the other end thereof.

As shown, the plate E has formed thereintwo parallel longitudinally-extending slots F G, which communicate, respectively, with a series of short vertical downward-extending slots or notches f g. The notches f are designed to engage with buttons secured on an underskirt when it is designed to employ the supporter for supporting two skirts, while the notches Q will receive buttons secured to the outer skirt.

By making the supporter of metal and forming the skirt-supporting plate integral with the belt or waistband I prevent such band from being stretched and distorted in shape by the strain on the said plate.

\Vhen the belt or waistband of the supporter is made of fabric and the skirt-plate is connected with the belt by separate fastening means the weight of the skirt, and the movement thereof, when the wearer is moving, causes a strain which is taken entirely by the fabric belt portion. This becomes stretched to such an extent as to be unsuited for the purpose for which it was intended; but by making the plate integral with the belt or waistband and making the latter of metal I provide for distributing any strain around the entire belt, and therefore provide a more durable and effective device than would be possible if a fabric belt or waistband were employed.

WVha-t I claim is- As a new article of manufacture, a flexible belt having a substantially centrally-arranged, widened, upWardly-projectin g extension formed with a longitudinal slot communicatin g with each of a series of vertical slots,

said belt and extension being formed of a sheet of metal integral throughout, one end of the belt having a hook, and the opposite end having a series of slots through the metal sheet, and a movable thimble adapted to cover and secure the jointed ends of the belt, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I hereunto affix my signature this 12th day of February, A. D. 1896.

JOSEPH M. FLANNERY.

In presence of OHAs. F. RANKIN, C. A. WILLIAMS. 

